New name tops Chelsea’s chase for midfield creativity

It is reported that Chelsea have bid £20m for Shakhtar star Willian

It has only been a few weeks since Andre Villas-Boas indicated that he was looking to bring just two new faces to Chelsea in the January transfer window.

The signing of Gary Cahill was always likely to be one of these new recruits, but the other was not so clear cut.

Villas-Boas has always stated that he wanted some added midfield creativity to join the likes of Juan Manuel Mata and Daniel Sturridge and early rumours suggested that forgotten Juventus playmaker Milos Krasic and young Belgian Kevin De Bruyne were among the leading targets.

One name that had not been mentioned previously was Borges Willian, who is one of a host of attacking starlets making waves at Shakhtar, along with Douglas Costa, Fernandinho and Luis Adriano.

Costa has previously been linked with Manchester United and now it is Willian who is being touted with a switch to the Premier League for a second time after interesting Arsenal in the summer.

Willian would offer Villas-Boas some versatility as he can play on the left or in a central role and his ability to break at pace would offer some valuable speed alongside Sturridge on the counter attack.

Meanwhile, despite being just 23, Willian would bring with him valuable Champions League experience, having been arguably Shakhtar’s best player in their run to the quarter finals last season.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have already offered Shakhtar £20m for the Brazilian, although this may be less than their own valuation of their prized asset.

Chelsea’s odds are 2/5 to finish in the top four this season and a signing in the mould of Willian would be a big aid to their chances.

Some may say that Chelsea are also not totally out of the title race and they can be backed at 40/1 to make up their deficit and be crowned champions.

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Craig has written for Ladbrokes since the 2010 World Cup, having previously gained a Media & Sports Journalism degree and contributed to publications including the Racing Post. His main areas of interest are horse racing and UFC, but he is also an avid X Factor gambler and likes nothing more than indulging in a spot of Hip Hop Karaoke.

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